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Omsk Fortification
Omsk The city of Omsk lies at the heart of Russia, and is one of its largest cities. The sprawling city lies at the junction of two rivers, the Irtysh and the Om River, and it straddles the lengthy Trans-Siberian Railway. With the addition of Tsentralny Airport and several highways, Omsk is a hub of transportation within Mighty Russia, with vast amounts of goods and resources flowing through the city. At the heart of the city is a cluster of classical buildings, such as the cathedral of St Nicholas, dating back to 1840. Grim-Repair begins work on Silverbolt's minor injuries. Grim-Repair stands by as the orderlies carry Silverbolt into the medtent. The flaps are left open, of course, so that they can still converse with Inferno and those outside. Grim-Repair sets about turning Silverbolt's pain receptors off, and then starting to remove sheet metal, which ends up in a pile on the floor, right next to a cardboard cut-out of Radar O'Reilly. Silverbolt is.....laid out on a table for repairs? With the crews on scene provided direction and efforts already underway, Inferno nods sagely as he crosses his arms, optics locked on the responders for just a moment longer as he mentally touches his checklist. It's times like these that the training pays off. Arrive on scene, give simple direction, and like Patton once said, tell them what to do and let them surprise you with their ingenuity. It is poetry in motion, but training is what provides the pen and paper. And with that done, it is only left to the Big Red Machine to smile, nod approvingly, and shift his attention to the care of his brother in arms being serviced in the tent set up by the Junkion master of the macabre. Stepping to the tent and peering inside, he chuckles at the view, and speaks in his lackadasical manner. "So... Whut yer sayin' is ya got yeller, strapped up Superion by th' boots, n' picked awn th' lil' kids, 'Bolt? Doc, turn his nasty n' mean-o-meter up while ya's in there." Grim-Repair nods, and mumbles something about "mean and nasty" as he torques this thingamawhat here and re-connects it with that wahoozy over there. From somewhere inside Silverbolt's left hip joint comes the sounds of what sounds like a beltsander being run over a kitten. Ever few seconds, the doctor punctuates his work with a reassuring "Mwahahahahaha." Peacekeeper has made the short trip over to the recently-won Omsk to see just /what/ was so important that required so many casualties after the fact. Besides, it seems like her medical staff back at Yamalia had the injured there taken care of--and it's got its own nice defenses as well. She thinks she spots a large red mech peeering inside the tent--and once she gets closer, even recognizes who it is. "Well, well, look who's come back," she remarks with a wry grin. "It's been a long time, Inferno. Where've you been lately?" Silverbolt leans up...even as the gumbies are repairing him and waves. "Hey Peacekeeper. I take full blame for this." He then flops back onto the bench. Grim-Repair is not a gumby! He is a fully-fleshed and apped character! Just for that, he's going to remove your head and replace it with Beachcomber's. Powerglide arrives from the Yamalia to the north. Powerglide has arrived. Inferno can't help but recognize the voice himself, and turning his head to catch the oncoming Autobot in his optics, he puts on the meanest, angriest, nastiest, most fake and obvious scowl he can manage, contorting his face to the point of comedy. A massively thick, black finger levels heavily, accusingly, and playfully. "Fire prevention n' protection doan happen by fallin' outta th' sky, lil' missy! Y'all could... Catch awn fire! Burst inta flame wit' yer jilly-jackin' n' messin' around! 'Sides... Somebody 'round here's gotta do th' stuff that don't put yer face in th' papers." Adding a wink and yet another smile, one that seems to grow in honest delight with each passing moment, the Big Red Machine peeks back into the tent, adding yet another quip to the repair process. "Doc, doan ferget t' replace that merge unit, now... Galvatrawn might come back, n' we might need someone that cain't fit under th' door t' come saaaaaave th' day!" For the sake of moving forward, Grim-Repair finishes his work on Silverbolt..it wasn't all that much anyhow, all things considered. Replacing the last armor plate with sounds and gesticulations that do not accurately match the precision and care with which he performs the actions, Grim stands back and admires his work. "Klinger! Next patient!" Immediately, the two Junkion gumbys pick up Silverbolt's litter, walk to the front of the tent, and unceremoniously toss Silverbolt back out into the outside. Powerglide just sort of shows up because that's what he does, and damn he's good at it. He looks at...whatever it is that's there, "So, uh, what's goin' on?" Silverbolt blinks as he's shoved out of the tent and....blinks. "uh....yeah. I guess I'm better." he says doing a quick systems check, and chuckles. "oh boy." he says softly before waving to Peacekeeper again. "Hey Peacekeeper. We did it.....sorta." Peacekeeper laughs and shakes her helm slightly. Yup, that's Inferno alright. She'd been rather concerned after the whole confusion concerning the Juice incident, but at least now she can relax a bit on that concern. She looks at the tent as Silverbolt is suddenly tossed back outside on his aft, so to speak, then at Silverbolt as she makes sure of that with a quick scan of her own. "Aye, so I hear. But what do you mean by 'sorta'?" She quickly looks inside the tent--her optics narrowed and a frown on her face. "Grim-Repair! I think you need to treat your patients with a bit more care than that!" Not even she is /that/ bad, goodness. Silverbolt taps his helm a bit. "well, i'm only processing pieces of what happened with Superion.....but the fact that I'm still here must mean we took Omsk....so..." When Peacekeeper looks in, Grim-Repair is standing, canoodling with a Junkion gumbyfemme who is dressed up like Hot Lips Hoolihan. With a quick motion, he drops the two flaps of the tent, while yelling "Get out, Frank!" Then, silence..a minute goes by with no sound eminating from the tent, until once more, Grim can be heard yelling.. "IT'S ALIIIIIIIIIVE!" "'Bolt, how exactly does a feller 'sorta' put a whoopin' awn another feller?" Peering through a somewhat serious look upon his face, the firefighter stares for a moment, managing to pat the Aerialbot on the shoulder in a gesture of a job well done. "Own up to it, hoss. Y'all put them Deceptipunks awn they's heels. Quit crawfishin' n' stick yer chest out a lil'." And in a violent explosion of vocal assault, Inferno stand erect, eyes shifting to the crews in the distance, bellowing out a command that would shatter the eardrums of the innocent. "AH SEE ONE MORE A' Y'ALL STANDIN' AROUND, AH'M PERSONALLY PASSIN' OUT DENTS IN YER SKULLS. MOVE! THIS AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN 'CAUSE PRIMUS WILLED IT, DAMMIT." And with that said, it's back to good ol' easy-tempered Inferno, shaking his head at the actions of the Junkion in the tent. "Hilarious." Peacekeeper manages to duck back outside in a hurry rubbing her visor with one hand. Oi, Junkions... "Best leave him alone," she decides dryly, wincing as she rubs the right side of her helm--the side Inferno's on--to make sure her audio is still working. She cants her gaze to Silverbolt and chuckles a bit. "Seeing how we're still in Omsk now, I'd say it's safe to assume that you guys won." That, and she'd be in /far/ less of a good mood if they hadn't. Silverbolt chuckles at Inferno and Peacekeeper. "Inferno, this was a team effort. I'll admit Superion is pretty much a separate entity, he's a combination of a team." Hazard rolls in across the crude road leading to the Autobot encampment and pulls up alongside the others before transforming into his robot mode. "Ooh." he grimaces, loosening his shoulder post-transformation, "GOt some mud in the wrong spot there." he looks around, "So, what we building here folks? I heard you could use some of my expertise!" he eyes the surrounding Autobots, making an attempt to supress any giggles at his use of the term "expertise". Grim-Repair has disconnected. "Team eff'rt, pfffft. Mah tailpipe n' mah carburetor is a team eff'rt. Y'all kicked Galvatrawn's tailboard n' yer too damn humble t' take th' pat awn th' back. Knucklehead." Adding a squeeze to the Aerialbot's shoulder to indicate the jest in his statement, Inferno sighs quietly, his eyes already shifting again to the crews off in the distance. Apaprently barking orders isn't going to get this done, and knowing full well from the scratches, dings, and grime on his own hands what hard work by example can do, the firefighter steps back, runs that very hand down his face, and prepares himself for the task at hand. "Welp... Wish ah could pin th' medal awn yer chest, slick. But they doan give medals fer doin' yer job, do they. Anyway, ah got me some work that needs doin'." Adding a confidence building wink and a short wave to Grim-Repair and Peacekeeper, Inferno starts to depart, just in time for Hazard's rickety old jeep to come be-bopping up and interrupt the crying, the sadness, and the overall loss of resolve and morale at the firefighter's departure. Waving a hand over his head as he begins to walk away, he smiles, winks, and creates a makeshift gun with his fingers that levels on Hazard even as he departs. "Don't go stickin' aroun' TOO long, Haz. Ah jes' might stick a shovel in yer hands! Holler if'n y'all need me!" Powerglide has disconnected. Peacekeeper chuckles softly. "We will, Inferno. Good to see you again." She glances over at Hazard as he arrives and grins. Another mech she'd been concerned about as of late. "Good cycle, Hazard. Glad to see you've recovered," she greets with a slight wave. "Inferno's in charge of building a new outpost here. Not quite sure what he has in mind, though." A voice, far in the distance but easily discernable as to who it belongs to, shouts across the Russian winds, falling weakly and feathery on your audial receptors. "Whutever it is, y'all can bet yer exhaust pipes it'll have a sprinkler system!" Hazard nods towards Peacekeeper, "I'm just fine, thanks!" he flexes his right arm while gripping it with the left, "New arm is working out just fine. BETTER even." his optics flare slightly in excitement, "I even added a few upgrades of my own... out of spec, sure, but worth the risk I think." he looks aside, "Just have to keep an optic out for certain side-eff.. well, no need to go into that now!" he changes the subject quickly, "So, this is Russia huh? Wonder what the Decepticons want with this place." Peacekeeper rolls her optics a bit. Hazard's almost as bad as DepthCharge... "Aye, this is Russia. As for what the Decepticons want with this country, I don't know. All I'm worried about is keeping guys like Silverbolt here," a brief jab of the thumb over her shoulder at him, "up and running so we can continue liberating each sector as we can." She shrugs and folds her hands behind her helm, canting her gaze to the engineer. "So, what do you think should be built? We've got a battlefield repair station in the sector north of here, so I think we can focus on power here." Especially since this seems to be a pretty highly contested area, if last night was of any indication. Hazard puts his hands on his hips and thinks for a moment as Peacekeeper finishes, "Power is right! What we need is some kind of SEIGE weapon. Something long-range. Something capable of taking out a Combiner in one hit if they decide to send Abominous or Devastator after us.." he muses for a moment, "Silverbolt... do you think you can fly around and scavenge us some I-beams from some of those skyscraper ruins? I think maybe we can convert one of these abandoned Russian artillary tanks into some kind of hypervelocity rail cannon..." he looks towards Peacekeeper, "With a decent energon supply, we should be able to energize steel I-beams and modify one of these cannons to utilize the polarity of the resulting electromagentic field to launch them. Sort of like..." he looks around absent-mindedly, "A ballista!" ... "Of course there is the issue of the delta-radiati... well, I'm sure that is negligable." Smokescreen has connected. Smokescreen moves north to the Yamalia. Smokescreen has left. Peacekeeper thinks about that idea. "The sector to the north has a steady supply of oil. If nothing else, we could convert that energy supply to Energon and use it to fuel your mega-weapon," she remarks, relying purely on logic and not 'political correctness'. "Of course, we could get in trouble with the humans for using their resources like that, so probably best leave that for a last-resort." She nods faintly as she glances towards where Inferno is currently keeping the construction-'Bots in line and working. "I think that could be doable. I'll have to leave it up to you, though, since I'm not too skilled in construction work." Oh boy, is she making the right choice there? Silverbolt blinks at Peacekeeper. "Steady supply of oil?" Hazard manages (barely) to supress a triumphant grin, and flips his hand open to summon a "cyber-manilla" folder into his hand from subspace (or possibly it was an animation error and he was holding the folder all along?). "I -JUST SO HAPPEN- to have the blueprints already drawn up!" he rummages through the folder with his left hand, "Let's see... Decepti-iron, Autobot launcher, mirror gun, mumblevac, drunkomat.. ah ha! Here it is, 'Ener-Ballista'." he hands the document over to Peacekeeper for inspection, "It will need some modifications naturally." Peacekeeper tilts her helm slightly at Silverbolt. "Didn't you notice all of the refineries they have up in Yamalia? Humans don't build such structures unless they've found an energy supply--usually oil," she points out. She accepts the blueprints and studies it carefully, knowing full-well of Hazard's more destructive streak. Reminds her of Whirligig, except far less repentant. She narrows her optics faintly at the mention of further modifications. "Only as long as such modifications don't increase the chances of it exploding at the worst possible time," she replies. Hazard nods as seriously as possible (e.g. for him: not very) towards Peacekeeper, "Of course not. This design is specifically created to be explosion-proof." his voice then trails off in an aside, "Implosions on the other hand..." He looks towards Silverbolt, "How do you feel about rummaging us up some I-beams Silverbolt? I don't think the humans will mind if we salvage some of these ruined skyscrapers." Silverbolt blinks his optics a couple of times. "Peacekeeper.....before Optimus lost his spark (life-spark), The Decepticons raided an old Oil refinery in the Americas....to produce energon...." Silverbolt looks over to Hazard. "I have Systems damage, Hazard.....and I'm not that strong to begin with. I'll radio for others to join us....but I'm afraid I can't help you quite yet." Peacekeeper rumbles softly and lowers the blueprints as she fully faces Silverbolt. "Listen. I'm not saying we can nor will stoop to Decepticon tactics--that's the /last/ thing I'd /ever/ suggest. Pits, far more diplomatic Autobots than me could gain permission for us to use a small portion of the oil in the Yamalian Refineries in order to power our outposts, for all I know. Most likely, I can have 'Aid send cubes from our Energon stores instead." She rolls up the plans. "All I'm saying is that we are not far away from an energy source--which makes it even more manditory to keep Yamalia safe." She hands the plans back to Hazard, but doesn't release hold of it to make sure Hazard listens to her. "Explosions include implosions as well, Hazard. Build this thing to hurt Decepticons, not us--and not to self-destruct in some fasion. Am I clear?" Silverbolt puts his hands on his hips.....and winces. "You really need to quit being so paranoid, Peacekeeper. I was saying that those refineries MIGHT be what the Decepticons are after!" Hazard takes the plans back from Peacekeeper, "Yes! Er.. no explosions or implosions. Guaranteed!" he grins, "The only thing exploding here will be Decepticon Combiners... about time I paid back Devastator for putting me in that hole in 2005.." Peacekeeper rubs her visor. She probably should've gotten more recharge instead of making sure the wounded from last night were taken care of, but ah well. "Sorry, 'Bolt. You're completely right, and we'd be fools not to believe that they wouldn't at least attempt to attack that area again sometime in the near future." She smirks faintly at Hazard. "Good. I'll see if I can't get some of those metal parts you mentioned needing for the construction. I need to do something to help in some way." Hazard goes home. Hazard has left. Tracks arrives from the Yamalia to the north. Tracks has arrived. Smokescreen arrives from the Yamalia to the north. Smokescreen has arrived. Blue Corvette drives along with Smokescreen towards the Autobots. "Hello everyone...anything new in the region today?" Silverbolt chuckles over to Peacekeeper. "Thanks for the once over, Peacekeeper. Grim-repair had me.......worried." Stock Car rolls up behind Tracks- significantly less-pretty than the corvette- mostly due to the fact that he's not yet had the chance to re-paint himself in his standard blue & red. "Hm. So when're we gonna put together the next outpost, ya think?" Silverbolt then looks to Tracks and grins. "Only that we now hold Omsk." He then looks over to the stock car. "Inferno and Hazard are working on the new depot." he says looking over towards the construction crews. "But he's gonna need.....I-beams. The screwball mechs fashioning up some sort of Gauss cannon or something." Peacekeeper waves one hand slightly as she begins walking towards the destroyed buildings. "He's eccentric, but that comes with being a Junkion, I suppose," she remarks with a smirk. She glances over to the incoming group and nods in confirmation to Silverbolt's explaination. Tracks shifts into his dashing robot mode. Tracks says, "I-beams? Hmm..." he rubs his chin. "I suppose we could gather a bit of building material from some of the areas that were recently attacked. Yamalia, the missile base in Siberia (if there are no Decepticons still there, of course)." Stock Car hmmms. "I beams, huh? Well, it shouldn't be TOO hard to scrounge up some building material..." he says- it's a good thing Smokey's in car mode, or else one might see a 'devilish smirk' by now. Silverbolt nods quietly. "How far are your internal systems in the red? if they are." Peacekeeper gives Tracks a mild curious look. "Mechs, in case you haven't noticed, there are damaged and destroyed buildings all around us. I think nobody will mind if we enact a little... clean-up after yesterday's battle, hm?" She casts a smirk towards Smokescreen and continues walking. "Well, I'll see what I can put together....might as well get SOMETHING done, while I'm still recovering." he grins, and revs his engines. "You guys be careful- I'll keep in touch, and I'll let you know once I find something." and off he goes! Smokescreen has disconnected. Tracks shrugs, unconciously turning the motion into a vaguely elegant gesture with one hand coming up just so. "That's actually an excellent idea. There were quite a few building that were nearly destroyed in the fighting here. If there are any materials that are still suitably intact, we can use those." He heads off towards one of the collapsed buildings. You take several moments to run a medical scan on Tracks... =----------------------< Mediscanner Report on Tracks >----------------------= Energy Levels: 100% Main Systems: 100% Combat Systems: 89% Self-Repair Systems: Working = Peacekeeper glances over her shoulder at Tracks and runs a quick scan to make sure he wouldn't overstress his recent repairs, but soon simply nods. "Just don't overdo it, Tracks," she advises as she brings a laser-scalpel out of subspace, studying some pieces of metal to judge which could be usable and which are just too damaged. Not exactly a saw, but it's sharp enough to cut through Cybertronian armor easily--so Earthen-metals should be simple enough. Tracks goes through a pile of debris carefully, using his above-average strength and sometimes surprising technical aptitude - over the years and adventures, he's learned how to perform basic maintainence of his engine and bodywork - to extract three intact full-sized I-beams and one that can be salvaged as a half-sized beam with a little work. He brings them over and start a neat little pile near the Autobot construction area. Peacekeeper keeps an optic on Tracks, just in case, but focuses mostly on her own work. Removing salvageable I-beams, whole or partial, and also noting one of the still-intact Russian tanks that Hazard had mentioned earlier. But one thing at a time. So, she picks up a stack of the I-Beams she had recovered and also carries them over to the construction site, letting Inferno or some of the gumby-construction 'Bots take over from there. She studies that tank thoughtfully, then grimaces as she seems to remember something. Silverbolt literally drags a couple of I-beams over towards the construction gumbys. "You ok Peacekeeper?" he says softly as he looks for another I-beam. Peacekeeper rubs the back of her helm. "Hazard said he needed a functional tank, right?" She points to one not too far away--a few hundred yards at most. "Usually, I could probably tow it over here, but unfortunately my alt-mode's engine is not in the best of shape right now." Which means, if she tries it, there's a /very/ likely risk that it would break somehow. "So," she continues briskly as she strides towards the tank, "we'll have to find another way to get it over here." Tracks wanders over and looks at the tank. "If it's functional, maybe we could just ask a human to drive it over to where we want it?" Silverbolt looks on over to Tracks and ponders. "hmmm....what about two to four of us working together to carry it?" Peacekeeper glances at Tracks with a slight half-grin. "Anyone know Russian?" She remarks dryly, although her expression returns to one more serious. "I think Silverbolt's idea is more practical. I haven't seen many humans period, much less one who may know how to drive a tank." She looks at the treads and nods slowly. "Should be possible... Really don't like the idea of you two working like this while you're recovering, though." Tracks eyes the tank dubiously. "I don't know, that thing looks like it weighs fifty /tons/, at least. And...and yes, my systems still need time to recover from the battle last night!" Tracks doesn't look too thrilled at the idea of heavy lifting. Then he brightens. "Wait! If we can't find a human, maybe we just need someone small enough to fit inside!" Silverbolt just.....snickers at Tracks. "If someone can reach inside and flip it into neutral...we can push it." Peacekeeper chuckles and shrugs. "Whichever one you two want to do. It's going to get moved, regardless," she comments, leaning against the back of the tank with one shoulder, arms crossing over her chestplate with her ankles crossing as well. Tracks says, "Foxfire, this is Tracks, are you there?" Silverbolt chuckles at Peacekeeper. "You're worse than Arcee." he says before making his way over and trying hard to work on the hatch. Meanwhile, the construction Gumby's are following the plans for the depot nicely, creating the foundation and even making a medical and refueling bay for injuries. The Gauss Cannonn is being worked on as well, per Hazard's request. Saboteur Foxfire says, "Yes. What is it, Tracks?" Tracks says, "We were wondering if you'd like to help us. We need someone small enough to fit inside a Russian tank, to drive it into position." Saboteur Foxfire says, "I think I can do that. I'll be there shortly." Foxfire arrives from the Yamalia to the north. Foxfire has arrived. Tracks and Silverbolt are standing next to an intact but abandoned Russian tank, discussing how to get it over to the Autobot construction site nearby. Foxfire is feeling much better than before. His wounds are healed, and although he's technically stil recovering, he's able to get up and move around. He yawns a bit as he approaches Tracks and Silverbolt, glancing to the tank. "That it?" Silverbolt nods to Foxfire. "yeah. and thanks for your help last night, Foxfire. We couldn't have done it without you." Foxfire paws at an ear. "Aw, you don't really mean that...do you? I mean, you guys are much stronger than I am." Tracks lifts open the top hatch of the tank. "It's not always about strength, Foxfire." He smiles and makes a casual (but still elegant) gesture, almost like an 'after you' even though he couldn't fit inside himself. "Sometimes it's about style." Silverbolt smiles. "You helped out, Foxfire. and sometimes it's about being around when someone needs you. And Superion, believe it or not, needed you. Thanks." Foxfire smirks a bit and swiftly climbs into the tank, then vanishes inside. "Wow, you really think so?" comes his voice. "Thanks!" Tracks taps gently on the top of the tank. "Everything all right in there, Foxfire? Can you make out the controls?" "Yeah, I can see just fine," Foxfire replies from inside the tank. "So what do you want me to do with this thing, exactly?" Tracks walks backwards in front of the tank, towards the construction site nearby. "Just drive it this way...Hazard and Inferno wanted to use it somehow." Even walking backwards, he moves with sure-footed grace. As he goes he waves his hands in an 'over here' gesture. Foxfire plays with the tank's controls, easily figuring out how to work it. It begins to move at a casual pace, following Tracks and heading toward where he's indicating. Tracks leads towards an empty spot next to a neat stack of I-beams. "That's it...that's it...a few degrees to the left...no no, my left. Sorry. That's it...there!" He holds up both hands for Foxfire to stop. Foxfire stops the tank and promptly pokes his head out. "That good, then?" Tracks nods. "Very good. Er, before you come out, please engage the parking break, or the Russian equivalent." "Oh, right!" Foxfire ducks back inside, then reemerges a few moments later. "There we go." Silverbolt chuckles lightly. "Thanks Foxfire. You've been a supreme help." He says before looking towards the partly constructed depot. "Hey Foxfire? How good are you at constructing missiles and things that go boom?" Foxfire thinks this over. "Weeeeell...my speciality is explosives. I suppose I could make missiles, too, since technically they explode." Tracks rubs his chin in a thoughtful gesture. "I have an idea...instead of missiles, how about mines? Something similar to claymore mines, which are triggered on command by a defending Autobot? All of the Decepticons can fly, but there has been a surprising amount of ground activity during the engagements so far...partly due to the natures of Decepticons such as Galvatron, Onslaught, and this Avalanche fellow." Silverbolt nods quietly. then smirks at Tracks. "good idea. Claymore mines and regular mines...anything to keep the ground ponders in check. what about AA?" Markdown has arrived. Foxfire sits on his haunches, looking thoughtful. He is still sitting in the tank--at least now he doesn't feel so small. "It's a possibility..." Silverbolt nods quietly. "yeah. As well as strategic mines so we can blow certain areas and bury Decepticons." Walking towards the group just now is none other than... Markdown! He has a bit of a limp in his gait, but appears to be compensating for it via the use of a golden plated cane. "Mph... So, ah, making plans to beat back the cons, are we?" Tracks shakes his head solemnly. "No...I think our goal right now is to build some sort of defensive structure here in the city of Omsk." He points to the north, arm extended in a graceful motion, towards Yamalia. "Whirligig led construction of an armed depot, it turned out so well that we'd like to duplicate the effort here as well." He turns to look at the other Autobots. "Am I right?" Peacekeeper had given the mechs some room to get that tank moved to the actual construction site, and had walked around a bit to get a better look around at the scene. Since there have been no shouts for a medic, it seems like the movement had gone without a hitch. So, she's pretty much disappeared into the construction site itself to make sure there are no construction-related injuries and to see if the supplies they'd retrieved are in tune with Hazard and Inferno's plans for the outpost. Markdown scratches his chin. "You know... I know some guys, military contractors, that could help us set something up, and for a reasonable cost." He frowns for a moment. "So what are we thinking? Big huge gun? Some kind of fort? Lots of little guns?" Silverbolt says, "well...Hazard had a pretty good idea. If I remember right...a ballista, in ancient terran times, was a giant bow and arrow, using rope to propel an arrow the size of one of us, into a building. well...we can put that sort of thinking into another sort of weapon...a Gauss Cannon! It requires little energy, and......if we rig it up right....we could have a recharging mechanism tied to the cannon itself so it can recharge itself."" Markdown considers. "A big ol' Gauss Cannon, huh? Well... sure, that could work. Yeah. In fact... that reminds me. There's this military contractor that's been proposing just what you're talking about, but they've been having trouble getting the funds for their design. Maaayyyybe if they were able to debut their prototype here, in Omsk, they'd be able to nab that funding?" Silverbolt looks over to markdown. "Markdown.....a contractor won't want their prototype destroyed. Plus, if they're going to help US out...it'll be for free." Tracks says, "That's...well...that's an excellent idea!" he looks around. "But how soon could they get here? I'm sure you can understand the sense of urgency here. Who knows how long before the Decepticons will recover and be ready for another attack? Without Superion, we may face a much tougher fight this time." Markdown regards Silverbolt coolly as he draws a cigar out of a gold-engraved box in his other hand. Putting the box away, he lights the cigar and puffs on it before replying. "I didn't say it was their ONLY prototype. And let's not be naive. They're in the weapons business to make money. They aren't a charity, and I don't expect them to be. If their product helps us free Russia AND makes them money, I call that a good deal all around." He turns to Tracks. "Well, it would take them some time for them to get it here on their own. Unless maybe WE provided transportation. An Autobot shuttle should be able to accomodate it." Silverbolt says, "I'm not being naieve...I'm being practical. If the Decepticons, take over....they'll have no chance to make any money. Plus, as far as I know we don't worry about currency." Monstereo says, "We're back! And better than ever! Miss us?" Markdown quirks a brow. "What, take over Russia, you mean? Well, this is an American contractor, actually. And I think they might actually loan us the prototype if we videotape it in action. That way they can advertise it to the EDC. You can bet they're always looking to upgrade their ships." He taps the end of his cigar, knocking ashes off the tip. "Money makes the Earth work, Silverbolt, like it or not. Just like how energon makes OUR society work. That's why I've been engaging in some business dealings on this planet myself. I've even got something big planned, but, well, that's for another time. Anyway, my point is, if this Gauss Cannon works and works well, then this contractor has every right to make big bucks off of it. When you incentivize success, success naturally follows." Tracks nods his head sadly in agreement with Markdown. "Yes...unfortunately, not everyone sees it so clearly, Silverbolt. Besides, I know for certain that many humans in other regions of Earth have little idea what is going on here. To them it just another conflict between Autobots and Decepticons, this time on the other side of the world." Silverbolt simply GLARES at Markdown for a while, after crossing his arms. Apparently he's processing this information and comparison. "You DO realize Energon is pretty much our food. Last I heard, Money wasn't the Terran's food." he then looks back to the Depot. "Tell you what, Markdown. Talk to your 'contacts' in america.....and have them send the cannon. We'll have Whirligig take a look at it and see if there isn't a way to improve it and have it recharge itself. OK?" Peacekeeper emerges from somewhere within the construction site, apparently helping as much as she can--which basically means keeping some structures stable while they're fortified and other such things. She can see that things have become... a bit tense, so she sighs and shakes her helm. /Mechs.../ She then begins making her way over towards them while brushing off the dirt and snow that had accumilated on her shoulders and arms. Markdown waggles a finger. "Ah, but you see, they use money to BUY food and pay the people who work hard to provide it. But that's another issue. I'll do as you ask and call in those contractors. If their design is all it's cracked up to be, I don't think anybody will be disappointed." He turns away and puts two fingers to the side of his head. His lips move quietly as if he's communicating with someone. Markdown says, "Do we have any spare shuttles available for a little cargo hauling?" Monstereo says, "Ol'Rusty is refueling, but Alpha Trion is ready to roll." Markdown says, "Great. Have the Alpha Trion go to... er... probably shouldn't give that out over unsecured frequencies. Hold on..." Silverbolt turns his way away from Markdown....and looks to Foxfire. "How good are you at strategic placement of explosives?" Foxfire yawns a bit and paws at an ear. "Eh...pretty good. It's my job, y'know." Silverbolt nods quietly. "OK Foxfire. use your best judgment and.......well...spread the pain around." Markdown addresses the other Autobots. "Ok, the Gauss Cannon is on its way." Silverbolt nods to Markdown. 'Good." He then looks towards the Depot. "You can help with the construction, Markdown. it's almost done. How good are you at security?" Autobot Shuttle arrives from the Yamalia to the north. Autobot Shuttle has arrived. Autobot Shuttle majestically breaks through the cloud cover. Where's Look-Out Mountain when you need it? Markdown shrugs. "It's not really my thing, but I have managed to keep our warehouses--mostly--free of theft during my few millions of years of service." He glances upwards, squinting. "Ah, that was fast." Silverbolt nods. "Fine....you can work on that as well as installing the Gauss Cannon's mount, Markdown." Autobot Shuttle circles and comes in for a textbook landing, engines powering down. The cargo hold hatch swings open and PEnumbra waves from the opening. Penumbra leaves the Autobot Shuttle . Penumbra has arrived. And from the open hatch comes a massive, double-wide truck with flatbed trailer. The Gauss Cannon sits upon the trailer, carefully strapped down in multiple locations. It seems to be partly unassembled, however. The legs upon which the cannon would rest have been removed and are tied together next to the cannon. Following the Cannon out is a gaggle of business suited humans, taking in the sites of the Russian city (they insisted on coming along). Markdown rubs his hands together, grinning. "Great, great..." Penumbra calls down, "Need anything taken back right now?" Markdown considers for a moment, and asks Silverbolt, "Uh, we got some wounded guys, don't we? We could send 'em back to AC to get them some proper care. Might as well, since the shuttle's here." Peacekeeper shakes her helm as she walks up. "The depot up in Yamalia is a medical base as well. No need to send them all the way back to the City when we've got a base just a sector north from here." Silverbolt walks his way over towards the cannon and just peers at it, but then looks to Markdown. "all that had armor damage is fixed. if anyone has systems damage, they can't be repaired." He then looks back down to the suits. "I have a proposal for you terrans....." He says as he nods to Peacekeeper. "She's right. I was there and I even made the suggestion for a medical part to the depot.....to lessen Peacekeeper nukes." Penumbra gives a wave. "Then I'll just be taking a nap up in the cockpit. Happy renovating." Penumbra disappears back into the shuttle. Penumbra has left. Penumbra enters the Autobot Shuttle . From Autobot Shuttle , Penumbra has disconnected. The humans approach the Autobots. One of them, a middle-aged man with a beard, nods up at Silverbolt. "Hi, there. I'm Matt Trapper, President of Advanced Combat labs. My buddy Markdown--" He nods to Markdown, who nods back. "--called us over here. Silverbolt, is it? Well, we're willing to hear your proposal." Silverbolt says, "I'm Silverbolt, commander of the Aerialbots. Markdown said something about you willing to help us as long as we recorded it in action. I have a further proposal for you. If we find a way to improve the cannon, like say, self recharging, being able to put out a bigger punch, use less energy, etc....would you be willing to take those ideas into consideration....and not use this weapon against the Autobots? and uh.......I do hope you realize that....if we lose Omsk....you'll be losing the cannon." Matt Trapper turns to the other humans, and they huddle together, muttering amongst themselves about this. Occasionally words like, "Impossible!" "Nuts!" and "Insane!" can be heard. Finally, Matt Trapper turns back to Silverbolt looking a bit flustered. "Err... well, we thought that we were going to be hooking the cannon up to the city's power grid. And, look, we've already made this gun as efficient as we possibly can. We think it's the most efficient accelerated mass weapon ever built, in fact. But if you want MORE than that, um, that might need a few more years of R&D." He considers the consequences of losing the cannon. "Well, so long as it gets a few shots off on the Decepticons, at least, we should be able to get the EDC's attention and fund our weapon." Markdown adds, "We'd have to destroy the weapon ourselves, if necessary, to prevent the Decepticons from getting it." "Um... you would?" Matt Trapper says. Peacekeeper eyes Silverbolt slightly at the term 'Peacekeeper nukes'. She's not /that/ bad... normally. She sighs softly and rubs the back of her helm. "Depends on circumstances. Either we would have to destroy the weapon ourselves to keep it from being used against us by the Decepticons, or it would be destroyed during the course of battle. But those two are worst-case senarios, and we would prefer to not see either have to come to pass." Silverbolt chuckles to Mr. Trapper. "We can hook it up to the city's power grid, but if the Decepticons are smart....and some are...they'll cut the city's power before they attack. That's why I proposed that, if we come up with any idea to make the cannon MORE efficient, such as self-powering, we copy the ideas and give them to you......under the agreement that you never use the cannon against the Autobots. And I assure you, no Autobot will purposefully cause harm to a human......that's a Decepticon trait." Matt Trapper frowns. "Well, I don't want to see it destroyed, either! These weapons are *expensive.*" Another human, wearing glasses and a bit more cranky looking, says, "No, we can't lose any of our prototypes! This project has cost the company too much for it just to be stepped on by a clumsy robot!" "Like I told you, Mr. Trapper," Markdown says, "Best way to show off your weapon is in the field, against live targets. This may be your only shot. Literally and figuratively." Matt Trapper says, thinking. "Alright. On behalf of the company, we agree that we will never use this weapon against an Autobot, or sell it to their enemies. And if you can figure out how to improve upon our design, we'd love to know how." He extends a hand, then looks puzzled for a moment. "Er... I'd shake on it, but..." Silverbolt chuckles and kneels down, before holding out a pinky. "I know we seem gigantic, but if you take both hands and grasp the tip of my finger, we'll shake on it." He then chuckles. "I don't wish to see it destroyed with, Mister Trapper, but I assure you, working with our engineers will probably leap you ahead of your competition." Matt Trapper grasps the pinky with both hands and shakes it. "Then it's agreed. Ok, then. How would we give this thing the ability to recharge itself? Maybe... a diesel generator or something?" He rubs his beard contemplatively. Silverbolt smiles a bit. "well. I'm not a technician. But if I'm right, this thing runs on magnet rails, correct?" Matt Trapper nods. "That's right. Like all magnetic accelerators, though, the round tends to damage the rail as it is accelerated. Our solution to that problem was to encase the rounds in a teflon-coated plastic SABOT. This way we can fire the gun many more times before the rails have to be replaced. Uh, maybe I'm getting ahead of myself, though." Silverbolt nods. "well....what if those magnets spun a generator, that ended up giving power to the next shot? I'm only thinking of this...." He says before tugging out his rifle from a storage compartment. "....because of this. When I fly around, my body soaks up electricity.....and stores it in this rifle....which powers it's shot into a lightning-type discharge." Matt Trapper thinks on that. "Maybe... but how will we spin the generators and propel the shot while at the same time reclaiming energy? Wouldn't it simply require a larger magnetic field for both than what we would've used for just the round? I'm not sure about this." Markdown has disconnected. Silverbolt has disconnected. Foxfire has disconnected. Silverbolt nods. "That's where our engineers come in. As a matter of fact, one of our techs, named Whirligig, was able to create a Laser cannon up north, in Yamalia. Plus, if your magnets can propel a round at 1800 miles an hour, how hard would it be to also spin generators at the same time? I don't think it'd be very hard, but that's me. Get the generator to spin up to full speed for a few seconds....then Kinetic energy to allow them to charge even more......and perhaps even overcharge....creating a stronger shot after it." He then stands. "Mister Trapper, It was good talking with you, but I'm only a warrior, not a tech. I only have ideas, the techs are the ones who put them to practical use. Unfortunately, we have a bunker to create here. We'll have recordings of the cannon in action when a battle starts. Thank you, and good day Gentlemen." he says with a nod of his head. "And thank you as well, Markdown. We wouldn't have this cannon if it wasn't for you." Tracks watches Silverbolt and the military contractor work on the Gauss cannon for a while, and decides to leave them to it. He comes over to Foxfire instead, still preoccupied with a different idea. "Foxfire...I really think there's something to this mines idea. Not an entire minefield, but some kind of explosive system placed in strategic places around the area, with a sophisticated activation system that lets certain parts be triggered while others remain dormant." Peacekeeper sighs softly as she rubs the back of one hand over her visor. With the Markdown's human mercenary group assisting in setting up the gauss cannon, as well as the gumby-construction-'Bots steadily piecing together Hazard's plan bit by bit, it finally looks like something that might've actually been within the rubble of the last fight and somehow survived, hopefully adding to camouflage. The tank they'd recovered earlier had already been set up as an anti-aircraft/perimeter guard, connected to the base itself for power and ammo, and the power coils for the cannon itself have been set up around the cannon itself for self-reliant power. She glances down at Tracks and Foxfire briefly, but leaves them to their discussion as she continues re-enforcing the outer walls with the strongest of the scavenged metals they'd found. She knows less about explosives than she does about construction--at least actually building things herself. Foxfire has been silent, musing over the options. And he's still perched in the tank. As Tracks addresses him, he turns to the mech and nods. "Carefully placed mines...I can work with that." Tracks steps back to watch Foxfire work! Peacekeeper lets the constructi-techs take over, since she's pretty much done everything she could hope to do, and decides to watch Foxfire work as she takes a brief break. She does wish Whirligig was here, but it seems like she got caught up in another project again... Foxfire scurries down the side of the tank and goes about his task. "Heh heh...I had some mines that I was waiting to use. Now's my chance!" He starts digging a hole with his front paws to place the first explosive. Peacekeeper tilts her helm slightly as she folds her hands behind her back. "How long do you think setting up those mines will take?" She asks Foxfire curiously. Avalanche arrives from the Kazakstan to the south. Avalanche has arrived. First Aid says, "Hello everyone." Foxfire thinks for a moment. "Well, if I work nonstop...not too long." He grins. "Us canines are the masters of digging, y'know." Saboteur Foxfire says, "Oh, hey, 'Aid." Though unknown to the Autobots, a large Decepticon had actually taken his time to sneak up on them. "Mines is it?" He asks, most likely trying to scare the Autobots present with his sudden arrival. A chuckle leaves the gigantic tiger, as his scarlet optics look at the others. Avalanche should be well known, atleast to Peacekeeper. First Aid says, "How is everything going?" Peacekeeper nods faintly, then JUMPS a good yard or two into the air when Avalanche spoke up and nearly slips on the uneven ground when she lands. "Who the FRAG--?!" She barks, bringing her rifle out of subspace out of instinct more than a will to fight, and glares in the direction Avalanche's voice had come from. Foxfire abruptly stops digging, snapping his head up at the new voice. He snarls, taking on a defensive posture as he glares at Avalanche. "What do YOU want?" Avalanche chuckles lightly to himself, "Put your weapons away, I didn't come here for a fight. If I had, one of you would have already been torn to shreds." His optics continue to gaze at the others, and then he transforms. "Please to be thinking of me, as a scout at the moment." Leaping up, Avalanche transforms into his titanic robot mode. Tracks produces his own laser pistol. He sizes Avalanche up...looks like quite a handful, but he's no combiner. Tracks is confident that there are enough Autobots around to handle this if it comes to that. Peacekeeper growls softly, recognizing this mech very easily--and not too terribly impressed despite the fact that he towers over all of them. /I thought scouts were supposed to remain hidden and /not/ make their presence known,/ she thinks to herself. Well, better this than him ambushing them--because if Raptor's condition after such an encounter is of any indication, they would be hard-pressed to successfully defend against his attacks. "Foxfire," she states firmly, giving Foxfire a canted Look out of the corner of her optic trying to tell the fox-tape to cool it. She doesn't put away her rifle, but she does lower it so that it's not pointed at him. "A scout, hm? Remind me to set up better guards to keep the likes of you away," she remarks quietly. "So, other than trying to figure out what /we're/ doing here, what are /you/ in Autobot-held territory?" Avalanche lets out a rather playful laugh at Foxfire's reply. "Oh? Would you know." Quickly reaching behind him, he pulls out some sort of strange line. With it, there are multiple pieces of his vanquished foes. The Autobot symbol of Raptor, the arm unit of Michael Briar's exo, and a few others. "It took your Ultra Magnus to stop me. Your BEST." He then turns to address Peacekeeper. "Yes, merely a scout. Or....rather, a messenger. Please, leave Russia to the Decepticons. I would hate to have to destroy anymore than necessary to show how we will not relent." Foxfire growls deeply, but other than that remains silent. He slips over to Peacekeeper, never taking his optics off Avalanche. Peacekeeper somehow manages to maintain her usual neutrally calm expression, if not a bit colder than usual, despite the 'trophy-line' Avalanche decides to show. Mentally, however, she's /seething/. She'd wondered where Raptor's wing-insignia had disappeared off to, and knows that /had/ to hurt. "You know as well as I do that we can't do that," she states evenly, looking up at him while keeping her chin down out of habit. She doesn't trust Decepticons with animalistic traits, robot mode or beast mode, not after the Sweeps have tried to kill her--twice. "You and your fellow Decepticons invaded this country. What other reaction from us would you expect other than for us to try to stop you?" Tracks eyes Avalanche dubiously. "THAT is your message? Leave Russia to the Decepticons? If that's all, then I'm afraid you've wasted your time coming here. We've already heard it. From Combaticons, from triple-changers and Constructicons, and from GALVATRON himself." He gestures cooly at the other Autobots. "And we're still here." Avalanche returns his trophies to his back hip compartment, "Oh I know you've heard it from the others, but still, no sense in not trying to keep my fellow cybertronians out of harm's way." He then turns to look at Peacekeeper, his enhanced senses picking up her tensing mechanisms. "You...." He grins lightly, "You're the one that fixed the Seeker kossack, didn't you?" He can tell, he has heard about Peacekeeper from his other Decepticons. "No sense in hiding your rage. I can hear everything that you're doing." His optics narrow, as he then turns to Tracks. More or less, just seeing what this other mech is made of. Foxfire looks between Tracks and Peacekeeper. He still says nothing. But, he is apprehensive. Peacekeeper hisses a simple "Tch," in response to Avalanche's comments, but remains mute otherwise as she narrows her optics and pretty much locks her jaw. Now is not the time to lose her temper, as she knows extremely well. Tracks returns the gaze evenly, /he/ doesn't tense or look apprehensive. He just holds himself with an easy, almost relaxed assurance. "I'd say you have a fan club, Peacekeeper." He drawls. "I'm so jealous." Avalanche slowly begins to scrutinize the three, before pulling out his gigantic energy Scythe. Though, the the slams the blade into the ground for a moment and seems to think. "So, can I assume your answer is gonna remain the same?" Obviously no fool, Avalanche knows how to keep the fear factor present in his speech. Peacekeeper eyes Tracks out of the corner of her visor. "Don't be. It's the kind of attention that gets you killed," she replies, her voice at a low growl. Ironic, all things considering, but it's about the best she'll allow herself in the moment. Her gaze snaps back to Avalanche as the blade of his scythe slams into the ground and her hands flex slightly into fists before relaxing again. "Aye," she states firmly, resting her hands on her hips. "We aren't leaving." Tracks practically drops his laser as Avalanche finally departs. "I thought he would NEVER leave," Tracks complains. He looks a lot less calm and collected than he did a second ago. "Did you see the SIZE of that Decepticon? He looked like he could rip me to shreds!" Tracks walks back over to where Foxfire was working, all signs of his earlier confidence gone. "Foxfire, let's finish this. The sooner these defenses are ready, the better!" Foxfire relaxes somewhat, digging his claws into the ground beneath him. "Yeah...stupid 'Cons, always showin' up where they're not wanted..." He starts burying mines again, strategically placing them. Peacekeeper finally releases a deep breath as the pent-up stress and anger evaporates... for the most part. "Foxfire, whatever mines you had placed already--dig them up and place them elsewhere. I won't have the Decepticons making it past them because they know where they're hidden," she states calmly, her tone almost like ice. She turns on her heel and stalks towards the base, her optics narrowed to slits. "We will get this outpost finished and operational by morning, if not sooner. I don't doubt the Decepticons will make a second attempt soon, if that mech decided to show up here on a 'scouting' mission." Foxfire waves a dismissive paw and keeps digging. "On it." ************** The result: Gauss Cannon Outpost External Desc The building appears to blend in with the devastation caused by the Transformers’ battle to claim this area, mostly because much of its construction used parts and portions from the damaged buildings that had been (for the most part) demolished. However, it’s sturdier than it looks, thanks to Hazard‘s plans. It appears to be an almost cylindrical building with a domed top, almost similar to human observatories that are supposed to study the skies--although instead of a telescope, a Gauss Cannon peers out from within. The dome can swivel and pivot for a wide range, although anything approaching from the ground or below zero-degree angle would be able to escape it. However, to prevent that, there have been one or two batteries of Anti-Aircraft weaponry installed at various points around the base, using damaged and destroyed tanks that appear to be just another part of the landscape, and there are rings of TF-sized claymore mines (of Foxfire's construction) buried in the ground in a 50, 100, and 150 yard radius around the Outpost. Whole sections of these mines can be triggered in tandem or individually to attack specific targets with almost surgical precision. Internal Desc No med-bays or anything like that--there is little more here than a huge (if not jury-rigged) command center, since this outpost centers around offense and defending the sector it was built on. The basic aiming and firing controls are present for all weaponry, each type of weaponry getting its own station, as well as a screen at each station enabling those within to target any attackers. The whine of the Gauss cannon charging is constant background noise, although not to the point (yet) of being annoying. Just as hastily built as anything else with short-notice, there is a reinforced ceiling that blocks out the magnetic energy from the Gauss cannon, which could very well damage the control-systems and even the inhabitants. The power cells for the AA weaponry are embedded within the walls near the floor, and the power cells for the Gauss cannon are stored above and around the edge of the ceiling, where the cannon itself is stored. Category:Logs Category:2029 Category:Russian Risk